seymour



EJLPS E MOUR. GOLD SEPARATOR. v a

M11312, 7. Patented sept'. 19,"1854.

fmzzfo THE NORRIS PETERS :04 PnoTc-uma, WASNINDTON. n. c.

UNITED STATES;

now. L. SEYMOUR, OFVNEW YORK, n. Y., ASSIGNOR pro DANL, B. BROWN.

GOLD-SEPARATOR.

' Specification of Letterslatent No. 11,712, datedSeptember 19, 1854.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDWARD L. SEYMOUR, of the city, county, and State ofNew York,

chemist, have invented a new and improved apparatus forseparatlng or extracting me-,

tallic or native gold from auriferous sands and gravels and all such rocks, deposits, .and materials which contain particles of metallic or native gold.

My invention and improvement consist in a novel useful and profitable application. of

mechanical contrivances, by means of which, a

after my new plan and method cheapand simple apparatus of various size and form can be easily constructed, in which, through the agency of either water or air, or both (accordingto the nature of the materials under treatment) auriferous rock sand or gravel, or any matter whatsoever containing particles of metallic or native gold can be treated to such advantagethat not only can the whole of the gold be extracteda result not to be obtained by any process or contrivance, hitherto in use, asamalgamation, sieve washing (commonly called jigging) washing on inclinedtables, in pans, rockers &c.; but the labor also can be performed v in soshort a time, with so muchfacility as regards mechanical power, bulk, convenience, &c. and at so small an expense, that for the latter reasons alone it must become invaluable to the, gold miner in general and the gold digger in particular.

In order to designate my invention with brief distinctness and precision and to enable others to perceive, at a glance as it were, the substantial and, consequently, the real difference and distinction existing between an apparatus constructed after my new and improved method; and any machine, apparatus or contrivance that may have heretofore been used in separating metallic or native gold from sand, gravel; rocks &c.

I propose to call any and every vessel on apparatus, constructed on my new plan, a sectional gold separator; because the several and peculiar compartments or sections, of which it must needs be composed, and the mode or modes of using them, respectively,

for the efiicient accomplishment of the specific purposes, hereafter set forth, constitute the essential novelty and practical value of my invention.

In the, construction of my sectional gold separators, I do'not intend to confine myself to any particular-size or form (though,

as regards the latter, I consider the cylindrical or'tubular and the square and oblong forms most desirable) nor do I limit myself to any particular material.

The following is a full clear and exact description of the construction of my new sectional gold separators and of the method of usingthe same for the purpose of extracting or separating metallic or native gold from the sands,gravels, rocks or other :matterin which it may be contained, reference being had to the annexed drawings making a part of this specification, the figures in which represent round and square vessels of any convenient size made of Wood, metal or any suitable material, in such manner, that both the cylindrical and the square vessels (or vessels of any other suitable form and size) may be and are tobe divisible into several parts by horizontal and parallel movable compartments or sections fitting well one over the other. In the cylindrical or curved vessels these movable sections are united, at one side, by. a pivotal rod (hinges or any other suitable contrivance will answer the same purpose) of metal, upon which they may be moved 1n a circular direction,

at pleasure, in a circular and horizontal direction, I think the best, though they may be moved vertically or wholly lifted off, in

whichlatter case the pivotal'rod orhinges would be dispensed with, and the sections secured in their places in any other convenlent manner, and When in the r places for and eyes or other convenient fastenings as shown in Figures No. 1 and 2.

In thesquare vessels, the various compartments or sections are represented by a working, they areto be secured by hooks set of parallel frames or drawers without;

bot-toms, which are made to slide one directly on top of the other in a straight direction as showninFigs. No. 3 and 4, or the compartments or sections may be made to be necessary to scrape off with some convenient tool.

To the lowermost section of either vessel is attached asingle or double frame, movable or not, containing a perforated plate corresponding in form and dimensions with the vessel, made of metal wood or any suitable material, as sieve cloth, sacking, &c. of strength sufiicient to support such quantity of auriferous sand, gravel, rock or other matter as would fill the vessel to the mark M-M, the compartments or sections being supposed to be in their places, and the vessel airand water-tight.

Before working, the vessel must be attached to some suitable contrivance, and in such a manner as to cause air or water, or both, at short and repeated intervals, vertically to project such auriferous sand, gravel, rock and other material, (in fragments or particles suitably prepared and assorted) which may be placed in the vessel for treatment.

Fig. N0. 5 shows a very convenient mode of adapting, one or several such vessels, to a force pump which may be used for air with the valves V, V, or for water without the valves, and which can be made, by means of a lever or any other mechanical contrivance to produce the effect desired by repeated up-anddownward motion of the piston, projecting the auriferous matter with sufficient force, and at such a rate, that it may have time, after each depression of the piston and each consequent vertical projection of the auriferous matter to subside, while arranging itself according to the respective densities of its particles, the heaviest-viz, gold, going down to the lowest compartment. After a sufiicient number of strokes of the pistonsay from twenty to .a hundred strokes and more (according to the size of the particles composing the auriferous matter under treatment) it will be found that the uppermost compartment which "I call the scraping section will contain thelighter matter, without any admixture of gold; which lighter matter can be easily displaced by shifting the uppermost compartment (viz, the scraping secv tion in question off from the next undermost as shown in Fig. No. 5, A. The lighter matter being thus removed, the scraping section is again brought back to its original position for working; the removed stufi is replaced by fresh auriferous matter, and same process gone through with, and repeated until the lever compartment or compartments are filled with gold, which is easily perceived and can even be regulated, to the greatest exactness, and without the slightest risk of losing any gold, in the following manner.

Previously to putting the auriferous matspecific gravities,

ter into the sectional gold separator, I

fill the undermost compartment which I call the gold section with fine shot, (iron, brass, copper and other'metallic filings or granules will answer the same purpose) which I call the protecting and regulating metallic grain. The object of placing there this fine shot or protecting and regulating metallic grain is to protect the open interstices of the perforated bottom which I have named the sieve plane, from being choked up with the fine clayey silicious or other light pulverulent matter which must needs form a great portion of the auriferous sands, gravels, crushed rock, &c, and which would tend to render the process of the gold-separation unequal and tedious; as also to serve, by its final appearance, upon the shifting forward or sidewise (according to the square or round form of the sectional gold separator) of the, scraping section, at the upper level of the middle compartment,-calle.d the regulating sec tion as a warning to the manipulator that, in the course and in consequence of repeating the afore described process of re-filling and re-emptying the scraping section the particles of gold, by virtue of their specific.

density, have at last filled out the, gold section; lifting up, as they went down, the regulating metallic grain causing it to fill out the regulating section (the dimensions of the latter and the former being the same) whence it has to-be removed, for

for containing auriferous and other ores,

earths etc., to be treated or separated by water or air as above described, is making the said receptacle or vessels of two, three or more sections arranged -one above another perpendicularly so that they may be slid off in successlon in a horizontal direction,

or otherwise removed, to remove, the refuse matter separated from the metal in the first or top section, and the s'everalor other layers of stratified matter contained in the othersections according to their respective v E. LEWIS SEYMOUR.

Witnesses: v j I MATT TAYLOR, JNo. D. BROWN. 

